Ever since the introduction of the modern computer in the 1940s, several techniques (algorithms, programming languages, etc.) have been developed to enable the computer to carry out various tasks typically performed by humans; performing complex calculations, processing compound data, and creating detailed graphics are but a few of the examples of such tasks. Despite this tremendous progress witnessed in the field of computing, there remains several human tasks that the computer cannot replicate; there also exists tasks that the computer can barely even aid humans in. Specifically, tasks that require analysis based solely on the presentation of graphical (visual) data have tested the limits of programming languages and have seemingly helped draw the boundaries of human-computer interaction and artificial intelligence.
For example, the representation of a human organ on the computer display or a video of the atrophying or growth of a tumor during an extended period of medical treatment aids the physician in diagnosing the problem. However, in most cases, the computer cannot replicate that physician's diagnosis, nor extract much useful medical information solely based on the aforementioned image or video. Another example would be a virtual simulation of a building collapsing due to an explosion; the simulation aids engineers in analyzing the failures in the structural design of the building, but it is quite difficult to program the computer to perform this analysis in an automated and independent fashion.
In general, the majority of the attempts at increasing the “IQ” of the computer have focused on emulating, through expert systems and artificial intelligence, the way the human brain thinks, through processing and computing. Yet, a critical component to the process has been seemingly overlooked: input. Like the computer, the human requires input, typically in the form of sensory perception. Although the computer can, in varying levels, interpret the classic Aristotelian senses, visual perception, arguably the most important of the senses, remains to be the most elusive.